The health sector has faced many pressures and countless challenges in recent years, especially in 2024 in light of the ongoing armed conflicts in the region.
The international president of the organization “Doctors Without Borders”, Dr. Christos Christo, expressed his concern about what is happening in Gaza, Sudan and other countries experiencing armed conflicts, warning that the war reveals only an initial catastrophic scene, while the fear of its consequences and repercussions is much more important, “at a time when the health sector is losing more of its staff in the absence of any respect for international laws after violation has become a rule and humanitarian sense is an exception”.
Conditions that may get worse
In Gaza, every family has lost at least one of its members, and a huge number of humanitarian and medical workers, as well as journalists, have been killed. Therefore, it is a difficult situation to imagine the devastation and bloodshed that permeates it. I would like to express my surprise at the courage of the health workers.
They are characterized by steadfastness and toughness despite everything they are subjected to. After 15 months, they continue to fulfill their humanitarian duty and mission, and have never abandoned it in extremely difficult circumstances that require tremendous efforts on both the physical and psychological levels.
I was struck by the courage of those who have lost family members, and they have returned directly to hospitals to provide health care to their patients, and this may be what provides them with the impulse to continue on this difficult path,”he said.
Major losses in numbers
“In Lebanon, the health sector lost more than 226 members of its staff in the war and more than 200 were injured, while the number increases fivefold in Gaza to more than 1,000 with more than 350 humanitarian workers, according to the figures of the Ministry of Health,”Christo said.
A tragic situation in Sudan
In Sudan, almost two years ago, the war began, and it continues with all its tragedies and a catastrophic situation in which killings are increasing with a terrible displacement movement both inside and towards neighboring countries in search of safety.
The figures show that almost 20 million people are deprived of basic needs and are struggling to live.
“But so far, it seems clear that there is no desire on the part of any of the parties to the conflict to end the conflict.
There is not even the political will of other countries to provide solutions to end this conflict. And personally, I am not optimistic about the possibility of the conflict ending soon in the absence of any signs predicting this.
Pressure on the health sector
There is no doubt that the health sector faced many pressures in 2024 in light of the ongoing wars, conflicts and humanitarian disasters. This has been a heavy burden with difficulties in continuing to provide health care and meet the growing needs.
The International Head of the organization “Doctors Without Borders” said that in recent years, exposure to the health sector, its workers and facilities has become a widespread and widely adopted pattern, ” as health and humanitarian workers have been subjected to attacks while doing their work, in addition to attacks on hospitals, and the indiscriminate killing of humanitarian and health workers.
It seemed as if it had become one of the adopted instruments of war, as noted in Gaza and Sudan, where the policy of starvation, impoverishment and attacks were also adopted, ” expressing regret for what is happening, he called on the international community to prevent the continuation of these mechanisms to be adopted as if within the framework of a normal situation and prevailing pattern, and to intervene in any way
Christo recalled the importance of intervention so that this situation does not become normal, stressing that it is not normal for 17 thousand children in Gaza alone to lose their lives, and that similar attacks occur on hospitals, which are considered places that are forbidden to be exposed to, “therefore, it is imperative to call on the international community to intervene and pressure so that things do not continue like this, since the protection of these facilities is not the responsibility of humanitarian workers.
As for Syria
The situation looks different, ” it is difficult to describe the reality in it because from the beginning of the war in 2011 it was not possible to enter it, and negotiations are continuing on this matter.
But what we know for sure is that there are millions of displaced people in the north-east of Syria and in the north-west of the country, where they live in difficult conditions, they have lost their homes and tried to return but did not find them,” Christo expressed concern about them, noting that efforts are intensifying to obtain permits to enter these areas and provide support to them.
As for the health sector in the country, there are great needs for basic supplies, and it is expected that it will be a long time before it will be possible to help the sector recover after years of deprivation and difficult conditions.
